After a two and a half year political impasse, Lebanon now has a new government. And after 12 years without a budget Lebanon’s government led by new Prime Minister Saad also has a $15.8 billion budget What is not clear is whether or not the new government will at least try to create a new […]

photo: IoSonoUnaFotoCamera Washington is planning to extend sanctions against Russia, once again. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is getting ready to cope with a special counsel’s investigation which seems to focus as much on Trump as Russia. Last Wednesday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned that Congress should not pass any legislation that would undercut “constructive […]

Tired of hearing the latest uproar surrounding President Donald Trump’s tax returns? Every president since Jimmy Carter has provided this information, but Trump has consistently refused to do so since claiming he was waiting for the results of an IRS “audit.” Even as the mystery surrounding his financial dealings threatens his plans for tax reform […]

photo: Alexandra Zakharova American colonists resented the British Navigation Acts. Colonists smuggled, protested, and eventually revolted against the restrictions on trade. John Hancock, the most prominent signer of the Declaration of Independence, became one of the richest men in the Colonies by smuggling (John Hancock-Heritage). However, in 2017 in the independent United States of America, […]

The U.S. Senate voted to confirm Robert Lighthizer as United States Trade Representative last week, rounding out President Donald Trump’s cabinet and giving momentum to his trade agenda. At his swearing-in ceremony on May 15, Ambassador Lighthizer predicted that President Trump would permanently reverse “the dangerous trajectory of American trade,” and in turn make “U.S. […]

photo: Jonathan Kos-Read Introduction On the eve of Beijing’s May 2017 Summit on its New Silk Road strategy and plans, historians may well ask how China was able to turn the tables on America in Eurasia. Just six years ago, Eurasian strategists were bullish on America’s New Silk Road strategy and plans. That perception was […]

photo: Kenny Cole Recently, President Trump signed his “Buy American, Hire American” executive order. Ironically, while the stated goal is to put “America First,” the White House may actually subsidize old industries and undermine innovation. Recently, President Trump traveled to Wisconsin to sign the “Buy American, Hire American” executive order, which seeks to crack […]

photo: Jonathan Taglione By the early 2020s, rivalry for industrial innovation will accelerate between the U.S. and China. Ironically, the Trump White House has opted for a poor-economy industrial policy, whereas China has a rich-economy policy. The former seeks past glory; the latter cannot wait to get to the future. According to the Trump administration, […]

photo: Gage Skidmore Introduction. President Trump is not sure what he wants when it comes to America’s global economic strategy. On the one hand, he has been heavily involved with international trade and finance as a businessman and he hired lots of Goldman Sachs international financiers for his administration. On the other hand, he rallies […]

photo: Tax Credits Republican reformers have repeatedly promised affordable healthcare for all Americans — doubly affordable, in fact. They promise to put premiums and out-of-pocket costs within reach of low- and middle-income consumers, and at the same time, that the plan will be affordable to the federal budget, even given the constraints their most conservative members […]